Main Street Project Launches $2.5M Capital Campaign for New Shelter

WINNIPEG — Main Street Project has launched a $2.5 million capital campaign to raise funds for a new emergency shelter.

The non-profit community health agency’s It’s Time campaign aims to redevelop the newly-acquired space at 637 Main Street — the former home to Mitchell Fabrics.

“It’s Time is a reference to the need for a change in how we think of homelessness and our response to it,” said MSP executive director Rick Lees.

“The most recent street census clearly indicates that we as a community need to do better. Why wouldn’t you want to treat your new homeless facility the same way you would treat a new hospital building and build something that’s remarkable, that you can be proud of.”

Main Street Project plans to renovate the building into a state of the art low-barrier shelter that will meet the needs of Winnipeg’s most vulnerable citizens, including those experiencing homelessness, mental health issues and addictions related struggles.

The goal is to raise $2.5 million in private donations — accompanied by funding from all three levels of government — by December 2019. Once complete, the shelter will increase capacity from 85 people sleeping on floor mats to 150 people in 36,000 square feet of space.